Improvement in car-couplings



1. F. L. HQLMAN.

- Gar-Goupiings.

N.0,143,01L j PatemedSeptemberZS,1873.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()E1ICEo JCHNE. L. RCLMAN, CE HAMILTON, CANADA,AssIGNoR 0E CNE-HALE Hrs RICHT To EDWIN HENwooD, or sAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 143,011, datedSeptember 23, 1873; application led March 14, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FREDERICK LIN BRIDGE HOLMAN, of the city ofHamilton, in the county of Wentworth, in the Province of Ontario,Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of thesame.

The object of the invention is the con struction of a car-coupler thatis automatic in its action, simple, thoroughly effective, and soarranged as to obviate the necessity of a man going between the cars forthe purpose of coupling and uncoupling them.

Fi gure 1 is a longitudinal section of a bumperhead and link. Fig. 2 isa front view of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view.

B, Fig. 1, is the bumper head, provided with a recess, D', as shown. Onthe right side of the bumper are lugs E, upon which is pivoted a curvedtooth or pin, O,which passes through an opening, M, in the bottom of thebumperhead, as shown; its upper portion comes in contact with aprojection, N, at the rear of the mouth of the bumper. The right side ofthe said tooth C is of a triangular form. One side of the angle is soinclined as to enable the link to glide over it and catch, when thelower angle comes in contact with the beveled side of the opening M,forming a lock so firm .that it is impossible for the link A to escape.The lower portion of the tooth or pin O is provided with a balance ballor Weight, which presses the top of the said pin O upward against aprojection, N, and the link cannot work loose until the balance-weightis raised. It will be seen that a chain, L, is attached to the ball O,and passes upward to pulleys I I; from thence it may be made to branchto each side of a car, and also to the top of it, so as to enable a manto uncouple cars from either side, as well as from the top, as may befound convenient. The chain is provided with a large link, J, above thesaid pulleys I I, to prevent it from slipping down between them. Thepulleys will be protected by an ordinary guard. Gars are constructed ofdifferent heights, and in order to adapt the link to such I provide adevice for raising and guiding the link. It consists of a bell-crank, F,pivoted to the lugs G on the left side of the bumper, as shown in Fig.2; the horizontal portion of the crank inside the bumper is representedby dotted lines. 'A rod, H, passes from the top of said crank, and itsopposite end is secured to any convenient part of a car. When it isdesired to raise the outside end of a link the rod His drawn,whichdepresses the lower arm of the crank downward against the inner end ofthe link into the bottom of the recess D', by which the outer end of thelink is e1evated and guided into an opposite bumper without thenecessity of a man endangering his life by going between the cars toguide the link with his hand. The dotted lines in Fig. l show how muchplay the link has in the bumper, and the dotted lines in the center ofFig. 2 shows the action of the bellcrank.

Cars can be coupled and uncoupled from either side as well as from thetop of a car without danger.

The ordinary link is used, so that any car not having my device attachedcan be coupled to a car with the device by a link and pin in theordinary way.

Frost does not act upon it; neither i's it liable to be fractured. p

What I claim as my invention is 1. In combination with the bumper-headB, the weighted tooth or pin O, pivoted between the lugs E, foroperation, in respect to the link of a car-coupling, substantially asherein set forth.

2. In combination with the weighted tooth or pin O and bumpenhead. thechain L, pulleys I I, and link-guide F, to operate substantially asdescribed.

Dated at Hamilton, Canada, this 11th day of March, 1873.

JOHN F. L. HOLMAN. Signed in the presence of WM. BRUCE, W. B. BRUCE.

